#Yatiz is a story focusing on the lives of young people in a small seaside municipality called Carmen in the southern part of the Philippines. The name is based on a cuss word here, "Yati/Yatis" that has no English equivalent but is closest to WTF.
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JANUARY 15, 2023・SUNDAY・19:49
Maya is at the kitchen, staring at the framed photo of Noel as a child with his cousins while eating instant pancit canton¹. She checks her phone for the time and looks at the family portrait again. She gives child-Noel the finger and adds more rice and pancit canton to her plate.
Suddenly, she hears the loud sound of the motorcycle zooms towards the back of the beach house; followed by laughter, footsteps, the sound of bottles clinking together and plastic bags. Maya braces herself and finishes eating her dinner.
The door opens. There's laughter from the three of them.
"Jun, imohang amot ayaw kalimti kay wala nagyud ko'y plite pauli ani," JR says.
"JUN, PLEASE PAY ME BACK THE MONEY FOR THE FOOD AND DRINKS. OR I WON'T BE ABLE TO GO HOME."
"Amot? Abi ba nako'g ikaw ang sponsor sa food? Pwede raman gud ka musakay sa motor no."
"WE'RE ALL CHIPPING IN? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SPONSORING THE FOOD."
"Naa ka'y extra nga helmet²?"
"DO YOU HAVE AN EXTRA HELMET?"
"Hi babe," Noel says as he approaches Maya who is still eating. He tries to kiss her cheek but she gets up before he could do it.
"Wala lage mo nang reply?" Maya asks as she puts her dish utensils on the sink.
"WHY WEREN'T ANY OF YOU REPLYING?"
"Wala'y signal didto babe." Noel says, joined by the other two placing their snacks on the table.
"THERE'S NO SIGNAL THERE, BABE."
Maya nods.
"Nagluto ka babe?" Noel asks.
"DID YOU COOK?"
"Wala. Kamo na ang magluto." She turns to face them, trying to hold back tears. "Kamo na lang pud hugas sa akong plato. Katulugon nako."
"NO. JUST COOK FOR YOURSELF."
"AND WASH THE DISHES. I'M SLEEPY."
Without waiting for a response, she goes to their room and slams the door. Unable to hold her tears any longer, she hops onto the bed and buries her face in the pillow.
"Shit," she could hear Noel say from the kitchen as he drags a chair to sit on.
"Ingon ko pa lage," JR says. "Maypag nanguli na lang ta."
"I TOLD YOU GUYS..."
"WE SHOULD'VE JUST WENT BACK."
"Unya akong motor? Ang pagkaon." Aljun asks.
"AND MY MOTORCYCLE? THE FOOD?"
The boys continue to argue as Maya covers her face with another pillow, trying hard not to be heard as her sobbing intensifies.
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1: PANCIT CANTON is a variation of the Filipino Dish, Pancit. Chinese in origin, the dish's name comes from the Hokkien expression "pian I sit," which means something convenient that is prepared quickly. It has different versions depending on the noodle used and the accompanying ingredients. In this context, Maya is cooking an instant version of Pancit canton that can be bought by pack and already has small pockets of seasoning and dried ingredients.
2: HELMETS: Although there are places where you can get away with it, helmets are generally required especially in huge cities like Davao, which is part of the route from Samal to Carmen.
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